Unless
you are really into Japanese cinema, the name Teinosuke Kinugasa may not ring
any bells. To be fair, the incredibly
prolific filmmaker was best known for only two films: the 1926 silent
avant-garde classic, A Page of Madness,
and this Cannes Palme d'Or (at that time called the Grand Prize of the
Festival) winner.

Gate of Hell
stands as one of the finest restoration efforts by the Criterion Collection. Its recapture of the vibrant colours used in
the original film negative is especially stunning, to the extent that they seem
to pop out of the screen. Kinugasa's vision
was nearly lost forever, with colours fading out from existing badly-damaged
prints. Thankfully, enough prints were
duplicated in black-and-white with the full range of colour data stored,
enabling the restoration process.

The
narrator opens the film with a historical recount of a rebellion, occurred
almost a millennium ago, even pre-dating many of the jidai gekichambara (swordfighting
period dramas) movies that we are familiar with, for example, from Kurosawa. The narration is accompanied by picture
scrolls, and interestingly, they segue into filmed sequences of battle that
mimic the qualities of these scrolls—frenetic, chaotic and lateral moving.

After
the heat of war has dissipated, Gate of
Hell evolves into a drama with careful plotting. We are acquainted with a loyal soldier who after
saving a (married) woman of royalty becomes enamoured with her. She refuses her advances, leading him to
continue to pursue her at all costs.

This
story of romance is an excellent treatise on fierce loyalties and unrequited
desires. The film’s unhurried pacing works
in a two-prong manner: it brings us deeper into the psychology of the characters,
while also giving each picturesque or intricately-designed shot a longer moment
than usual to mesmerize us.

A
winner of two Oscars, including for Best Costume Design, Gate of Hell is significant as one of the first few Japanese films
to be shot in colour, and released internationally. If there’s no other reason to see this film,
at least see it for its wild use of colours.
It also contains one of the most exciting horse races in cinema.

Verdict: Lovingly-restored in rich, vibrant colour,
this is one of Kinugasa’s best-known works and an excellent
treatise on fierce loyalties and unrequited desires.